Two-Cent Tuesday: Zabit's future, Ngannou's surgery, Rodriguez-Ortega, and much more

Hello again, friends.

Some random thoughts on this Tuesday afternoon. Let’s get right into it, shall we?

1. I get asked about Zabit Magomedsharipov’s whereabouts almost daily. And rightfully so. It appeared as though he was on the fast track to an inevitable title reign not that long ago. He was incredible. Alas, he hasn’t fought since November 2019, and I’m told that isn’t changing any time soon. He is happy not fighting and has no plans on returning at the moment, sources say.

2. Never say never in MMA, but if he has in fact fought his last fight, he’ll go down as the greatest what-if story in UFC history. No doubt.

3. The current hope/plan is to re-book the Aleksandar Rakić x Jan Blachowicz fight that was supposed to happen March 26 on May 14, though, it depends on how Blachowicz’s recovery goes. Rakić would also like to serve as the backup for the light heavyweight title fight on May 7, I’m told.

4. UFC is working on booking Yair Rodriguez x Brian Ortega in the future, sources say.

5. There was talk of booking Max Holloway x Josh Emmett as the new main event on March 26 after the aforementioned Rakić x Blachowicz fight fell through, but that didn’t materialize. It does appear, though, that Holloway will be able to return sooner than expected, so that is good news.

6. If Holloway doesn’t get a title shot upon returning, I’d be down to see that fight at a later date.